South San ISD

Many of the students in South San Antonio ISD have never had access to a Nook or a Kindle, but thanks to the Hidalgo Foundation, 200 kids at a time will be able to read their favorite books from BiblioTech.

Students in the South San School District can now reach out to BiblioTech while at school, thanks to a hefty donation of e-readers.

Officials with Bexar County’s bookless library delivered 50 of the e-readers to South San Antonio High School yesterday to be distributed among the high school and the district’s four middle schools.

After two hours of debate, board members of the South San Antonio Independent School District rejected joining the city’s Pre-K 4 SA program.

South San ISD approved last year’s memorandum of understanding with the city on Pre-K 4 SA but declined to do so this year under the direction of newly hired Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra. The board voted 6-1, with Rose Marie Martinez the lone dissenting vote.

The South San Independent School District has a new superintendent after a fierce discussion last night where two board members voted against the measure over salary. Abelardo Saavedra is the fifth person to take charge of the district in three years.

In a 4-2 vote, South San’s Board of Trustees hired former Houston ISD Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra. The opposition to the salary came from board members Rose Marie Martinez and Joseph Savage.

San Antonio District 4 Councilman Rey Saldaña has sent a letter to the Texas Education Agency asking it to investigate the South San Independent School District in light of numerous complaints from concerned parents and citizens.

The district is already on the TEA’s radar, but Saldaña is calling for a full investigation. In a two-page letter, Saldaña cites mismanagement of federal and state money, governance concerns, and the academic performance of students as the reason for his request. Although the city has cannot govern the district, Saldaña wants the state to intervene.

One in four adults have a diagnosable mental disorder according to the National Institutes for Mental Health, which is almost 60 million Americans. For the first time, Bexar County created a mental health department, which has a $300,000 budget. The department intends to plug the holes and coordinate the resources here in Bexar County.

We talk with their first director, Gilbert Gonzales, about what is coming for the county and what they feel they can do with this first step.